A blog by a husband and a wife who watch entirely too much television…

Tag Archives: Scandal

Look at this, it hasn’t even been 24 hours since this week’s episode of The Walking Dead aired and we are posting our review. [Insert virtual pat on the back]. Hopefully, this becomes more of the norm, instead of the last minute blog posts. Although forcing yourself to think about the previous episode right before the new one airs does have some benefits. I will admit that I felt fully prepared to see what The Governor had in store for us this week. So, let’s get to talking…

1. Seriously, still no prison gang – TWD, you are killing me. Another full week of The Governor?! And, to make it worse, we are back to the crazy, violence-loving guy that I hate. I guess the writers decided that redemption for The Governor wasn’t going to happen. We all likely knew that was coming, especially given the face-off between The Governor and the prison gang that has been alluded to over and over again. But, why was I forced to watch two full episodes of this mad-man when nothing has really changed for him? Come on!

2. Not Michonne! – Yes, I was screaming at the TV last night when The Governor had his gun pointed at Michonne. Full on screaming. (Again, be glad you don’t have to watch this show with me). The previews indicate that one of prison gang will die in next week’s mid-season finale. And, it is clear that The Governor has his “eye” set on Michonne. But, please please, let’s not kill her off, or Rick, or Daryl, or Glen, or Hershel, or Maggie… My vote is for Bob. Ain’t nobody got time for this alcoholic in the zombie apocalypse.

3. The psycho is back – As I mentioned before, the psychopath Governor is back. And, I am not a fan. Seriously, what was the point of the entire last episode if The Governor ends up just being as crazy as he was before? I mean, I get the whole angle that the show was trying to go for–let’s show The Governor trying to keep his evilness in check, but then ultimately being unable to do so. I think the problem is that I am just tired of The Governor. I find him to be uninteresting and simply annoying. Because of this, I am looking forward to next week’s episode a lot…but not because I want to see a huge battle; instead, because I am hoping The Governor will die and I won’t ever have to see his pirate-patch again.

*Side note – although I didn’t think it at the time, all those signs nailed onto the headless bodies described The Governor, didn’t they? Liar, murderer, rapist?? Sounds like him to me.

4. Here is what I am concerned about – Beyond being worried about who the zombie flu has next attacked or how Daryl handled the news about Carol, I am worried about whether the prison population will even stand a chance against The Governor’s crew and that tank! Taking on The Governor the first time around when everyone was healthy was hard enough, but is anyone beyond Carl strong enough for an all-out battle?? This is what keeps me up at night. (Well, that and never being to un-see Olivia Pope’s mom chew her own arm off…yeah that happened on Scandal last week.)

Alright, I am back with the second edition of Watch This, Not That. Today, we tackle two Shonda Rhimes creations. Both shows have been around for awhile and both shows have generated buzz over the years. But, with so many new shows beginning, especially this fall, I think it may be time to vote one of these shows off the island. Sohere we go: Grey’s Anatomy v. Scandal. Let the games begin.

Grey’s Anatomy (Thursdays, 9pm, ABC) – I will admit that I have only watched the season premiere of Grey’s. (I simply did not have the time to watch the second episode last night). But, I seriously doubt that episode number 2 is going to change my impression. Let’s be honest. The season premiere of Grey’s was a mess. An utter mess. It seems like they decided to throw every storyline into the first 2 hours. The Chief is electrocuted and then so is Brooks. Callie and Arizona breakup and Callie moves in with Meredith and Derek and refuses to let Arizona see the baby. And, like in every other Grey’s season there is a terrifying natural disaster…this time it’s a storm and a landslide or mudslide (honestly, I can’t remember exactly). What kills me about Grey’s is that, we are getting the same story over and over again. It’s now been 9 full seasons (season 10 just started) and it’s the same old stuff. A lowly intern dies (remember when George died), a couple breaks-up, and a bunch of people are injured by a huge catastrophe. I am over it Grey’s, over it. Please just call it quits.

Scandal (Thursdays, 10pm, ABC) – Scandal picks up in it’s season premiere right where it left off. We see an incredibly intense showdown between Olivia and her father that makes you wonder where in the heck did Olivia come from. The entire episode centers around the main love triangle in this show–Olivia, Fitz, and Mellie–and how to overcome the fact that Olivia has now been revealed as the President’s mistress. It’s situations like these that bring out what we love most in these characters: Mellie and Cyrus turn into the monsters that they are, the Gladiators stay strong and support Olivia, and Fitz becomes the sometimes weak, sometimes strong, man that is always less intelligent than the two women that are the center of his life. In addition to the scene between Olivia and her father, I thought the scenes between the VP and the President were particularly strong and showed another layer Sally Langston. All in all, a very strong premiere.

The similarities: Obviously both shows are Shonda Rhimes creations and are airing on the same network. Further, both shows star a female lead with a difficult and complicated love life (well, at least Meredith Grey used to have one) and a troubled upbringing. Further, there are several actors who have played characters on both shows: Jeff Perry, Scott Foley, Katie Lowes, Josh Malina, Bellamy Young, Kate Burton, George Newberm, Kurt Fuller, Gregg Henry, Debra Mooney, Mark Harelik, Tom Amandes…you get my point.

The verdict: You can’t argue that Scandal isn’t the better show at this point. I mean come on. We all realize that Grey’s has become this old, tired drama that everyone is secretly hoping will announce its cancellation so that we can stop watching (oh, maybe that is only me). In contrast, Scandal has proven itself to be exciting, interesting, creative, and unpredictable. Those are hard things to accomplish. And while admittedly, Scandal had a little rough start, it has now found its groove. This could not have been any more evident than by the premiere of Season 3–an hour of television that I did not want to end. So, jump on the Olivia Pope train and let’s try and remember the good years of Grey’s before the life had been sucked out of it.

So CJ claims each month he will be posting a list of “things to watch.” I like his idea, but am going to put my own twist on it. Below you will find a list of shows that I am most excited about watching this fall. In other words, if you are exactly like me (which clearly everyone is), these are the shows you should be watching. As you can tell, I possess a certain loyalty for returning shows, so unfortunately, my list is skewed a little against the new shows we will be seeing this fall. This shouldn’t be taken to mean that I will not be watching any new programming over the next couple months. If I am being honest, it just takes me a bit of time to jump onboard with anything new (consider this a character flaw). Here we go:

10. The X Factor (FOX, Wednesday, September 11 8:00PM) – I can already see CJ’s eyes rolling when he sees that The X Factor made my top 10 list. Admittedly, I did not make it through Season 1 of The X Factor, but I vowed last year to give B. Spears my support and stuck it out. And, you know what, I still find Mr. Simon Cowell amusing. Plus, I have a huge girl crush on Demi Lovato (also, I should probably mention that my musical tastes match those of a 12 year old girl). Now, unfortunately, Brittney is gone this year, but Demi and Simon remain. I watch this show for the judges and not for the talent that is “discovered,” and I am excited to see what is in store with Kelly Rowland added to the panel. I am cautiously optimistic. [Full disclosure, I watched last night’s premiere and I didn’t hate it. I actually liked a lot. Second episode is on tonight. Set your DVRs.]

9. Psych: The Musical (USA, Sunday, December 15 9:00PM) – I know what you are thinking, what the heck is this? Unfortunately, that means that you have not been watching the past seven seasons of Psych. Let me tell you, you have been missing out. This comedy is very clever and very witty. Yes, it is pretty crazy at times, but it’s characters are incredibly loveable. And, Dule Hill is, as always, amazing. You have until December to get caught up. Trust me, you will want to.

8. Raising Hope (FOX, Friday, November 8 9:00PM) – We are now on Season 4 of Raising Hope and it has a new time slot. I sincerely hope this is not the beginning of the end. I feel like this show does not get enough credit. Admittedly, I have been a skeptic. But the fact of the matter is, this show is hilarious. Yes, the characters are somewhat ridiculous, but this show has a lot of heart and I can guarantee that you will enjoy each and every episode. Plus, Hope is so dang cute, how can you not love it??

7. The Carrie Diaries (CW, Friday, October 25 8:00PM) – I will fully disclose that I was and am a huge Sex & The City fan. I mean, I don’t have any t-shirts, but I will watch reruns pretty much anytime they are on. Initially, I was skeptical about this show and it did take me until May to finish watching Season 1 on my DVR. But, you know what, this show turned out pretty good. AnnaSophia Robb is great and I am now a huge fan. (Did you see her in The Way Way Back this summer??). This is obviously a light-hearted show, but it is certainly entertaining and I am looking forward to Season 2 this fall.

6. Bob’s Burgers (FOX, Sunday, September 29 8:30PM) – If you haven’t ever watched Bob’s Burgers, then your life is a sad, sad place. True statement. And, this is coming from someone who doesn’t really like cartoons. It is probably worth it to watch each episode just so that you can see the clever burger pun Bob has put on his restaurant chalkboard. This show is clever and witty and undeniably funny. Heck, Jon Hamm guest starred as a talking toilet last season. That should be enough to convince you right there.

5. Nashville (ABC, Wednesday, September 25 10:00PM) – As much as I didn’t want to like this show last year, I got roped in hard. The beginning of the first season admittedly started out shaky, but mid-way through I was hooked. Yes, it is definitely soapy, but just accept the show for what it is and jump on board. What became of Rayna and Deacon (we ended with the in a horrible car crash), is Peggy having Teddy’s baby, what will Scarlett’s answer be, will Jonathan Jackson’s hair still be most excellent? All questions I need answers to.

4. New Girl (FOX, Tuesday, September 19 9:00PM) – Last season New Girl proved that even a “happy” couple can be funny. This, of course, is no easy thing to accomplish and I hope that New Girl keeps it up this season. We left last season with Nick and Jess agreeing to give couplehood a shot, while Schmidt was asked to chose between Cece and Elizabeth. I can’t wait to see what this season has in store. Also, extremely excited for Damon Waynes Jr. to return as Coach.

3. Arrow (CW, Wednesday, October 9 8:00PM) – Ranking my top three shows, was extremely difficult. The amount of time I have spent thinking about it, is embarrassing. Arrow’s first season was incredibly solid. And, the finale was action packed. I will not say how the season ended because that is how much I want you to watch the first season before October 9. I am not kidding, DO IT.

2. Scandal (ABC, Thursday, October 3 8:00PM) – Kerry Washington, Scott Foley, and Joshua Malina. That should be enough for you right there. But, just in case it’s not, Olivia’s affair is now public and we know that Jake has been taking orders from Olivia’s dad. What is going to happen next? There is no way to predict.

1. The Walking Dead (AMC, Sunday, October 13 9:00PM) – Season 3 of this show was fantastic, especially the first half. It fully solidified the fact that I love zombies. I do. Granted, I am actually afraid that the zombie apocalypse will happen (I know, I wish I was kidding…but it really could happen!) after watching this show, but that is just how good it is. We left off with Rick and his gang admitting a bunch of Woodbury residents at the Prison, but the Governor is still out there. And, I am very concerned about Daryl after all that happened with Merle at the end of last season.